Pocketknife



July 3, 1934. A. KowALD n POCKETKNIFE Filed March 27, 1934 Ihvenior llomey Patented July 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE POCKETKNIFE August Kowald, New Braunfels, Tex.

Application March 27, 1934, Serial No. 717,621

`3 Claims.

This invention relates to cutlery, and is in the nature of a pocket-knife.

An object of the present invention is to provide a safety pocket-knife in that the same cannot v be opened or closed except by special manipulation of the parts thereof.

The invention has reference particularly to that type of pocket knife wherein the handle is divided into two longitudinal sections which are pivoted to each other and to the blade by a single pivot and are capable `of rotating upon that pivot; there being provided improved locking means for locking the sections of the handle together and stop means for securely retaining the blade in l5 either open or closed position when the two sections of the handle register with each other.

The invention together with its objects and advantages will be best understood from a study of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the knife with the blade closed.

Figure 2 shows the knife with the blade in fully open position and one section of the handle in one of the intermediate positions which it passes in the act of opening the knife.

Figure 3 is an edge elevational view with the blade closed.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the means for locking the sections of the handle in registry or aiinement with one another and 1/ Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals it will be seen that the knife comprises a handle consisting of two sections 6, '7 and a blade indicated by the reference numeral 5. Each handle section consists of a body 8, ordinarily of bone, Wood, pearl or like substance to which is lfastened by rivets or in any other suitable manner a metallic face plate 9.

The face plates 9 of the handle section are extended as at 10 and 11, as clearly shown in Figures 1 to 3, for the attachment of the blade 5 by means of the rivet or pivot 4. A spacer block 12 is secured to one of the handle sections, for example the section 7, and is provided at the end opposite the pivot 4.

The block 12 has projecting upwardly therefrom an apertured lug 13 adapted to enter a recess 13a provided therefor in the opposing handle section 6.

` As is customary, end pieces 14 and 15 are provided for the plates 9 at the end opposite the pivot 4, to protect the end of the handle from Wear and breakage should the knife be dropped or otherwise subjected to jar.

In accordance With the present invention the end piece or member 14 of the handle section 60.? 6, and the plate 9 of said section are mutually separated as is this end piece 14 and the body'8 of said section 6.

Carried by the section-14 is a lock bar or boltz 16 movable through a channel or opening 17 65;' into and out of position within a pocket 18 provided in the body of the handle section 6. Cooperable with the bar 16 is a latch bar 19 pivoted within the pocket 18 as at 20 and having an end 21 adapted to engage a shoulder 22 on the 70 bar 16 to retain the bar 16 in a projected position, and to engage a shoulder 23 on said bar to limit outward movement of the bar 16 with reference to the pocket 18. The end 21 of the latch dog 19 is urged into engagement with the 75' bar 16 through the medium of a suitable spring 24. The latch member 19 at the end thereof opposite to the head 21 is provided with a knob or finger piece 25 that operates through a suitable slot or opening 26 provided at one side of 80 the body of the handle section 6, and at that end of the socket 18 opposite to the opening 17. Obviously by applying the finger to the head 25, and pressing inwardly the member 19 will be rotated against the action of spring 24 to move 85'- the end 21 of said member out of engagement with the shoulder 22 thus permitting the end piece 14 to be slid from the position shown in full line in Figure 1 to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 or in full lines in Figure 2.

When the handle sections 6 and 7 are in registry with one another said sections are locked in this position through the medium of a fixed projection 27 engaging in the opening in the lug 13 in a manner clearly shown in Figure 4. 95,'

To securely lock the blade in its open and closed positions, there are provided on each edge and upon opposite sides of the blade two lugs or stops 28, which stops engage respectively the handle sections. 6 and 7 adjacent to the pivot 4.

The operation and utility of the knife will be apparent from the following: In order to open the knife it is first necessary to press inwardly on the head 25 of the member 19 to swing the latter in a clockwise direction, so as to disen- 165 gage the end 21 of the member 19 from the shoulder 22; whereupon by inserting the linger nail between the end 14 and the adjacent end edge of the body 8 of handle section 6, said end 14 may be slid from the full line position shown 110 frs in Figure 1 to the dotted line position shown in said figure, or to the full line position of end 14 shown in Figure 2. With member 14 in the position suggested in Figure 2 the projection 27 will have been moved to a position disengaging the lug 13 so that the handle section 6 is then free to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1. The handle section 6 and blade 5 are next swung upon pivot 4 as a center and after the blade 5 reaches the position shown in Figure 2 the handle section 6 is swung further upon the pivot 4 through the position shown in Figure 2 until said section 6 is in registry with the section '7. With the handle sections in registry or alinement the ends thereof opposite the pivot are forced together so that the lug 13 passes into the recess 13a. The end 14 of the section 6 is then slid inwardly to the position shown in Figure 4 to engage the projection 27 with the aperture in the lugs 13 and to effect, somewhat automatically a re-engagement of the end 2l of latch member 19 with the shouder 22. The handle sections are then locked rmly in position while the blade 5 is secured firmly in extended position by the opposite lug 28 projecting at right angles from the edge thereof and overlapping the edges of the handle sections 6 and 7 in a manner clearly shown in Figure 5. It will also be apparent that through the medium of the lugs 28 the blade can be swung without the need of touching it with the hand. A closing of the knife is accomplished in substantially the same manner as above described with reference to the manner of opening the knife.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In a knife, handle sections, a blade, a pivot extending through one end of the handle sections and the blade whereby the blade and handle sections are independently pivoted, one of said handle sections having a pocket merging into a slot extending longitudinally of said one handle section at the end thereof opposite to the pivot, an end piece for said one handle section having a bolt slidable in the slot and projecting into said pocket, said one handle section at one side of the slot being also provided with a recess, a Xed apertured lug carried by the other handle section and projecting into the recess when the handle sections are in alinement, a projection on said end piece engageable with the lug to hold the handle sections together with the bolt projected into said pocket, a latch member pivotally mounted in said pocket, said bolt having a shoulder portion with which one end of the latch member is engageable in one position of the bolt to retain the bolt in projected position within the socket, and in a second position of the bolt to limit outward movement o the bolt relative to the pocket, a spring device arranged within the pocket and engaging the first named end of the latch member to retain said end in yielding engagement with the bolt, and a head on the opposite end of the latch member normally projecting through a lateral slot provided in the first named handle section; and a lug on each edge of the blade at the pivoted end of the latter, said lug projecting oppositely and adapted to bear against the rst named end of the handle sections when the blade separate therefrom, interengaging means on said 1' irst handle section and its end piece for supporting the end piece for sliding movement in a longitudinal direction toward and away from said rst handle section, a projection carried by the end piece and adapted to engage the apertured lug when thev end piece moves into abutting-engagementiwith its handle section to thereby secure the handle sections together, and a latch device carried by said rst handle section for releasably locking the end piece of said section in abutting relation therewith.

3. For pen knives and analogous bladed imp-lements, and as a new article Vofjmanufacture, a handle section comprising a body of bone, or

analogous material, a metallic lining-platese- 1.

cured to the body, said body having a longitudinally extending slot on its face back of its liningplate, an end piece for the bodyfseparate from the body and the lining plate, said end piece hav-- ing a bolt slidable in the slot and the said body T25 having a pocket with which the vslot merges and into which the bolt projects, and a spring pressed latch device within the pocket havingfan end engageable withthe bolt for releasably securing said end piece in abutting relation with the adjacent end of said body, said latch device being operable from without the pocket to release the bolt whereby to permitA separation of the handle and its end piece.

`AUGUST KOWALD.

nio 

